Earlier this week, I flew Delta Airlines to Puerto Rico — and somehow ended up with Zone 1 boarding. I felt like a total superstar since I didn’t have to fight for overhead bin space or get jostled on the way to my seat.

Wondering what it’d be like to get Zone 1 treatment all the time, I decided to compare four Delta credit cards I might qualify for. Here’s what I discovered.

Understanding Delta’s Rewards and Elite Statuses

Before diving into Delta’s credit cards and their benefits, you’ll need to get familiar with the airline’s rewards and status program.

In addition to earning Delta SkyMiles, Delta’s cards can help you attain Medallion status.

When you achieve this elite status, you’ll get benefits like complimentary upgrades, waived change fees, and priority check-in and boarding.

To get there, you’ll need to earn a combination of the following:

Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs), which are based on how far you fly, and in which class

Medallion Qualification Segments (MQSs), which are based on the number of flights you take

Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs), which are based on how much money you spend on flights with Delta and its partners

Here are the four tiers of Medallion status, along with their requirements:

SILVER

GOLD

PLATINUM

DIAMOND

25,000 MQMs or 30 MQSs

50,000 MQMs or 60 MQSs

75,000 MQMs or 100 MQSs

125,000 MQMs or 140 MQSs

AND

AND

AND

AND

$3,000 MQDs or MQD Waiver

$6,000 MQDs or MQD Waiver

$9,000 MQDs or MQD Waiver

$15,000 MQDs or MQD Waiver

While you can earn MQMs, MQMs, and MQDs by flying with Delta, you can also earn MQMs and MQDs by spending money on your co-branded Delta credit card.

Depending on which Delta card you get, you could earn 10,000 MQMs for spending $3,000 in the first 3 months, and 10,000 to 30,000 more for meeting certain spending thresholds over the following year.

As for MQDs, Delta will waive the requirement (listed in the table above) if you spend $25,000 or more on your Delta card during a calendar year. That is, if you’re trying to get Silver, Gold, or Platinum status; for a Diamond status waiver, you must spend a whopping $250,000.

4 Delta Credit Cards: A Breakdown

Now that you’ve got your head around Delta’s elite statuses, you’re ready to explore the range of Delta credit cards — all issued by American Express.

Here’s what the three most popular options (the Gold, Platinum, and Reserve cards) have in common:

Which of the Delta Credit Cards Should You Get?

Since the annual fee is waived for the first year, you can get the introductory bonus, plus free bags and priority boarding.

After that, you’d need to take at least two Delta flights — with checked bags — per year to make up for the annual fee.

But even if you don’t think the card’s worth it after the first year, you can cancel it and keep the miles. Or you could downgrade to the no-annual-fee Blue card, and keep the line of credit open, too.

This card earns Membership Rewards points, which you can convert to Delta SkyMiles at a 1:1 ratio. You won’t get a free bag or priority boarding, but you will have more flexibility when deciding where to spend your rewards.

Here are the details:

$550 annual fee

60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months

5X points per dollar on:

Flights booked directly with airlines

Prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel

2X points per dollar on other eligible purchases from American Express Travel

Access to the American Express Global Lounge Collection, which includes Delta Sky Clubs

The Amex Platinum is an excellent general travel card for flying Delta, particularly because of its wide-ranging lounge access and ability to transfer points to Delta SkyMiles. You won’t find those features on other high-end travel cards.

Plus, you’ll get 5X points per dollar when you book flights directly with Delta (or a multitude of other airlines), and if you make use of the airline fee and Uber credits, the effective annual fee will actually be lower than that of the Delta Reserve.

Overall, Delta credit cards — while designed for different levels of commitment and annual spending — make the most sense for people who fly the airline frequently. If you’re a casual Delta flyer, or would prefer to earn broader rewards, we’d recommend scoping out all the best travel credit cards before making your decision.

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